Coin assorter



', c. H. SIRDSALL COINJASSORTER ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

LEMA-l? CLAUDE H. BIB/DSAL'L, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

COIN ASSORTER.

Application led February 1, 1923. Serial No. 616,290.

T o all whom t may concern Be it known that l, CLAUDE H. BIRDSALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of lVestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin Assorters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to characters of reference marked there on, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in machines for assorting coins or other articles of varying diameter.

The invention has for its principal object to provide a simply constructed and easily operated device for separating and segregating from a mass of mixed coins, containing several denominations, the coins of each separate denomination; and to such end the device consists essentially of an inclined plane having a series of openings or ports of various sizes, respectively corresponding in width tothe several diameters of, coins or other objects to be assorted, a novel endless coin propelling means arranged to travel upwardly over said inclined plane and the openings or ports of the latter, and a series o chutes communicating with said openings or ports to lead the separated coins to the various receivers therefor.

Other obj ects of this invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

With the various objects of the invention in view, the same consists, primarily, in the novel assorting mechanism hereinafter set forth; and, the invention consists, furthermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be more fully described in the following specification, and then finally embodied in the claims appended thereto.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which r- Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a machine embodying the principles of this invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, with portions of the coin propelling mechanism and separator plate broken away to show underlying structure; Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, taken on line 3-3 in Figure 2, t-he coin propelling mechanism being shown in elevation; Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the inclined apertured separator plate and the coin propelling mechanism, said view being drawn on an enlarged scale; and Figure 5 is a detail plane view of a coin propelling element, also drawn on'an enlarged scale.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts. l

Referring now to said drawings, the reference character 6 indicates a suitable framework upon which the mechanism is: supported. Suitably secured in connection with said frame-work isa longitudinal separator plate 7 disposed to extend upwardly from its inner end to-ward its outer end in an inclined plane.

The reference character 8 indicates a transverse drive shaft, suitably journaled in said frame-work 6 to extend beneath the lower inner end of said separator plate 7,

and the reference character 9 indicates aV transverse idler shaft which is suitably journaled in said frame-work 6 to extend beneath the upper outer end o-f said separatorplate 7. Fixed on said drive shaft 8 are a` pair of drive sprockets 10, one on each side of said separator plate. Fixed on said idler shaft Y9 are a pair of sprockets 11, one on each side of said separator plate. Running over the longitudinally opposed sprockets 10 and 11, on each side of said separator plate 7 are endless conveyer chains 12. Secured to and extending between said conveyer chains 12 are a series of transverse conveyer plates 13, which when the mechanism is opera-tively actuated are caused to successively travel or slide upwardly over the upper surface of said separator plate 7. Each conveyer plate 13 is provided at its respective ends with downwardly turned end flanges 14 which engage over the longitudinal margins of the separator plate 7 intermediate the same and the adjacent conveyer chains, and connected with each end flange 14 is a perforate coupling lug 15, through which passes a pivot bolt 16 for operatively attaching the conveyer plates to the said conveyer chains, as illustrated more particularly in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. The means for driving the conveyer mechanism, to cause the conveyer plates 13 to travel or slide upwardly and successively over the separator plate 7 comprises a crank-handle 17 fixed upon one end of said drive shaft 8, or any other desired means 'lor imparting operative motion to said drive sha'i't and its drive sprocket-s 10. ln order to prevent reverse or downward sliding movement of said conveyer plates relative to said separator plate 7, the drive shaft 3 may be provided with a ratchet wheel 18 with which cooperates a pivoted dog 19, whereby the rotary movement permitted to the drive shaft will be restricted to the desired operative direction.

Supported by the frame-work 6, adjacent to but eleva-ted above the lower or receiving end of the separator plate and conveyor mechanism cooperating therewith, is a hopper or pan 2O having an opening in its side wall toward the separator and conveyor mechanism. Extending downwardly from the hopper opening to the receiving end or" the separator and conveyor mechanism is a chute 21.

The separator plate7 is provided with several groups of elongated apertures or openings, which vary in width in correspondence to the diameters of various denominations of coins or other articles. For example as shown in the drawings, the reference character 22 indicates a group ot apertures or openings of a width corresponding to the diameter of a ten-cent piece, there being as shown, iny this instance, three such apertures or openings in a transversely alined row adjacent to the lower end of the separator plate. Next above is a second group of apertures or openings 23 of a width corresponding to the diameter of a penny. Next above is a third group of apertures or openings 24 of a width corresponding to the diameter of a live-cent piece. Next above is a 'fourth group of apertures or openings 25 ot a width corresponding to the diameter of a twentyi'ive cent piece. Next above is a fifth group of apertures or openings 26 of a width corresponding to the diameteiI oia hal-t dollar coin. It will be understood that additional groups of such apertures may be provided,

as e. g. for accommodating dollar coins if it is so desired. The individual members ol' each group of apertures or openings are longitudinally alined with corresponding members of the other groups, so that the separator plate is provided with a plurality of longitudinal lines of apertures or openings progressively enlarged in width from the lower end toward the upper end of the same.

Each conveyor plate 13 is provided with openings Jforming pockets 27 corresponding in number to the number of longitudinal lines of apertures or openings provided in the separator plate 7, and so disposed as to travel longitudinally over the successive apertures or openings in each such line thereof. Said pockets 26 are of a diameter slightly greater than the largest coin or article to be operated upon b-y the machine, and consequently will not only acc mmodate the largest coin or article but also will receive or accommodate the smaller sizes as well. ln order to assure the centering ol the smaller sized coins or articles in the pockets 27 so that the same will be so disposed when deposited in the pockets that they will be alined with the longitudinal aXis of the line of apertures or openings oil the separator plate over which a given pocket moves, each pocket is provided at its lower side with a centering notch 23 indented in the margin of the. poclr-et, will be better understood if reference is made to Figur-e 5 of the drawings.

ln order to assure a proper distribution ofV the coins or articles delivered through the chute 21 from the pan or .hopper 20 to the several pockets of each conveyer plate 13, the lower end of said chute 2l is provided with a series of concave guide grooves 2t the bottoms of which register respectivelyv in line with the respective pockets oiI the conveyer plates 13 as the latter move upwardly beneath the chute.

Supported by the frame-work 6 so as te be registered beneath each transverse group 'of apertures or openings provided in 'the separator plate 7 are receiving chamaers into which the coins or articles passing through said apertures or openings tall. As shown, there is a receiving chamber 30 'for ten-cent pieces disposed beneath the group or' apertures or openings 22; receiving chamber 31 for pennies disposed beneath the group of apertures or openings I, a receiving chamber 32 for niclrles disposed beneath the group of apertures or openings-1 24E; a receiving chamber 33 for quarters disposed beneath the group oic apertures er openings 25; and a receiving chamber 3ft for half-dollars disposed beneath the group of apertures or openings 26. The bottoms or' the several chambers 30, 3l, 32, and 3-1Y are inclined towardv one side of the machine. and their low ends are respectively connected by runways or chutes 35 to communicate with the respective collecting bones or receptacles 36, 37, 33, 39 and l0 adapted 'to receive the respective assortments of coin or articles 'which have been separated by the machine.

ln ope-ration a supply of mixed coins are placed in the hopper or pan 20, whereupon the operator rotates the drive shaft 3 to cause the `conveyer mechanism to travel upwardly over the separator plate 7. lllhile the conveyor mechanism is thus actuated, the operator brushes the coins, a few at a time, out of the hopper or pan 20 into the chute 21, soi that the same fall through the latter upon the conveyer plates 173, being lll() llf) guided by the guide grooves 29 to the pockets 27 of said conveyer plates in each of which a coin will lodge flatwise, and will be centered therein by the centering notch 28. The upwa-rd movement of the conveyer pilates slide the coins, thus lodged in the )oclrets 27 u awardl over the surface of thel l l y Separator plate 7. As the coins are thus slid upwardly over the separator plate 7 they are caused to ride over the apertures or openings 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26, so that the larger coins, which are of too great diameter to pass through the narrower apertures or openings will be carried beyond the latter until an aperture or opening is reached through which they may pass. For example, when coins vare assorted or separated, the ten-cent pieces will fall through the apertures or openings 22, while the pennies, nickles, quarters and halves will ride over such apertures or openings; the pennies will fall through the apertures or openings 23 while` the nickles, quarters and halves are carried beyond the same; the nickles will fall through the apertures or openings 24 while the quarters and halves continue upward; the quarters will fall through the apertures or openings 25 while the halves continue on; and finally the halves will fall through the apertures or openings 26. lt will thus loe apparent that the several denominations of coins will be separated one from another, the dimes falling into the receiving chamber 30 to finally pass through a chute 35 into the receptacle 36; the pennies will fall into the receiving chamber 31 thence into the receptacle 37; the niclles will fall into the receiving chamber' 32 and thence into the receptacle 38; the quarters will fall into the receiving chamber 33 and thence into the receptacle 39; and the halves will fall into the receiving chamber 34 and thence into the receptacle 40, thus completing the asserting operations and segregating each denomination of coin in a separate receptacle.

It will also be understood that the inachine, in a manner similar to that above described, may be. readily adapted to sort and segregate articles other than coin, such as buttons, and other disc-like bodies.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the several arrangement-s and coinbinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of this invention `as set forth in the foregoing speci-lication, and as del-ined in the appended claims. Hence, l do not limitl my invention to the eXa'ct arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts as described in said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

I claim l. in a device of the lrind described, an inclined separator plate having a plurality of apertures of various widths, endless conveyer chains mounted to run parallel to the respective longitudinal margins of said separater plate, transverse conveyer plates interconnected between said conveyer chains so as to be moved upwardly over the surface of said separator plate, said conveyer plates having pockets to receive articles to be sorted, said pockets being disposed to register with and move successively over said longitudinally alined apertures of said separator plate, and said pockets at their lower sides having notches for longitudinallyicentering the aricles deposited therein.

2. In a device of the kind described, an inclined separator plate having a plurality of apertures of various widths, endless con` veyer chains mounted to run parallel to the respective longitudinal margins of said separater plate, transverse conveyer plates interconnected between said conveyer chains so as to'be moved upwardly over the surface of said separator plate, said conveyer plates having pockets to receive articles to be sorted, said pockets being disposed to register with and move successively over said longitudinally alined apertures of said separator plate, and said pockets at their lower sides having notches for longitudinally centering the articles deposited therein, a hopper mounted adjacent to the lower end of said separator plate and conveyer means, a chute leading from said hopper for depositing' said articles to be sorted upon the conveyer means, and means beneath the apertures of said separator plate for receiving and segregating the articles dropped therethrough.

3.. ln a device of the kind described, an inclined separator plate having a plurality of apertures disposed in longitudinal suecession and alinement extending from the lower end thereof toward the upper end thereof, said apertures being respectively of increased width as they approach said upper end of said separator plate, endless conveyer chains mounted to run paralled to the respective longitudinal margins of said separater plate, transverse conveyer plates interconnected between said conveyer chains so as to be moved upwardly over the surface of s aid separator plate, said conveyer plates having pockets to receive articles to be sorted, said pockets being disposed to regisllO ter with and move successively over said longitudinally alined apertures of said separator plate, and said pockets at their lower sides having notches for longitudinally centering the articles deposited therein.

l. In a device of the kind described, an inclined separator plate having a plurality of apertures disposed in longitudinal succession and alinement extending from the lower end thereof toward the upper end thereof, said apertures being respectively of increased width as they approach said upper end of said separator plate, endless conveyer chains mounted to run parallel to the respective longitudinal margins of said separator plate, transverse conveyer plates interconnected between said conveyer chains so ais to loe moved upwardly over the surface of said separator plate, said conveyer plates having,` pockets to receive articles to be sorted, said pockets being disposed to register with and move successively over said longitudinally alined apertures of said separator plate, and said pockets at their lower sides having` notches for longitudinally centering the articles deposited therein, a hopper mounted adjacent to the lower end of said separator plate and conveyer means, a chute leading from said hopper for depositingsaid articles to be sorted upon the conveyer means, and means beneath the apertures of said separator plate for receiving and segregating the articles dropped therethrough.

In testimony that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of December, 1923.

CLAUDE H. BIRDSALL.

lVitnesses ADoLrH HANSEN, GEORGE D. RICHARDS. 

